1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is directed to a photolabile compound and a substrate for an oligomer probe array to which the photolabile compound is attached.
2. Description of the Related Art
The term “oligomer probe array” refers to an array in which an oligomer probe is densely arrayed onto a solid support such as a silicon wafer substrate.
As a method of forming an oligomer probe array by accumulating various biopolymers on the oligomer probe array, various methods are known and even at present new methods have been proposed.
The oligomer probe array can be produced, for example, by a method in which protective groups in a specific area are removed by light irradiation on the substrate to which functional groups protected by photolabile protective groups are fixed, to expose the functional groups, and an oligomer probe such as an oligonucleotide, a polypeptide or a peptide nucleic acid (PNA), is attached to a substrate. Further, the oligomer probe array can be produced by a method in which monomers are in-situ synthesized using photolithography or a method in which the previously synthesized oligomer probe is attached to a substrate using a process such as spotting.
The photolabile protective groups protect reactive functional groups until they are exposed to constant light. Exemplary photolabile protective groups that are currently known include nitroveratryloxycarbonyl (NVOC), nitropiperonyloxycarbonyl (NPOC), α-methylnitroveratryloxycarbonyl (MeNVOC), 1-pyrenylmethyloxycarbonyl (PyMOC), α-methylnitropiperonyloxycarbonyl (MeNPOC, 2-(3,4-methylenedioxy-2-nitrophenyl)propyloxycarbonyl), dinitrophenylalkylsulfonyl and 2-(2-nitrophenyl)propyloxycarbonyl (NPPOC).
The photolabile protective groups may be used in the production of oligomer probe arrays and the photolytic degradation rate may be varied depending on the kinds of the photolabile protective groups. Therefore, for the purpose of improving the total reaction yield, efforts have been continued to develop a photolabile compound capable of providing photolabile protective groups suitable for the production of oligomer probe arrays.